Couch-head hinge.



No. 658,125. Patented Sept. I8, |900.

J. T. SENG.

GUUGH HEAD HINGE.

L Application filed May 31, 1900.)

(N o M o d e l cams earns ca. vnorotmm., wAsmNamn n c UNITED STATES PATENT @man IULIU's fr. snNG, or loI-II'cAGO, ILLINOIS, Ass'IeNoR To THE snNe COMPANY, orf sAMn PLACE.

o'uCH--HAol-Imee.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 658,125, dated September 18, 1900. Application filed May 31,1900. serai No. 18.583. (No modal.)

To a/ZZ whom it may concern: p

Be it known that I, JULIUS T. SENG, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of- Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Couch-Head Hinges, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in hinges. employed for adjustably connecting head-rests to couches.

Heretofore it has been customary to connect head-rests to couches by means of av hinge comprising two securing leaves or members pivoted together and respectively secured to the frames of the couch and the head-rest, a toothed rack being loosely pivoted to one of the members and adapted to engage with a stud projecting from the companion member of the hinge. This provided a Very efcient means for adjustably hinging the head-rest to the couch in that any elevation of t-he rest could be secured by sim ply raising the rest from its horizontal position to any desired angle or inclination, the rest being held in that position by'means of the rack-bars engaging a convenient tooth with the aforesaid studs. The objection to this device consisted in the necessity of employing a string or other means for withdrawing.

the rack from engagement with the stud.

The prime objects of this invention are to improve upon this construction by obviating the use of the strings or other similar and correspondingly-undesirable devices and by providing a convenient means for automatically unlocking or disconnecting the rack-bars from the studs when it is desired to lower the head-rest, and, finally, to accomplish the same in a simple and economical manner without increasing to any appreciable extent the cost of manufacture of the device.

Referring to the drawings, Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4 are similar views representing the meeting ends of the side `rails of a couch and a head-rest frame and illustrating in side elevation one of theimproved head-rest hinges, the same being shown in the different positions it assumes during its adjustment, all as will be hereinafter more particularly referred to.

Similar numerals of reference indicate similar parts in all the figures of the drawings.

It will be understood at the outset that two of the hereinafter-described improved hinges constitute a set and that their leaves or mem-v bers are secured to the meeting ends of both the front and back rails of the couch-frame and head-rest frame. Ihave,however,deemed it necessary to illustrate but one hinge of the set, it being of course understood that a companion hinge is to be employed and facing the hinge herein shown. l

1 and 2 designate the movable and stationary leaves or members, respectively, composing the hinge, the two being extended at their upper meeting corners in the-form of lugs or ears 3 and pivoted, as at 4, as is usual. leaves or members may be given any desired shape, but in the present instance are substantially rectangular and provided at their upper and meeting edges with angular securing lugs or ears 5, which are designed to embrace the upper and meeting ends of the side rails 6 and 7, respectively, of the couch-frame and head-restframe. The leaves or members are also provided with openings for ythe reception of the usual screws.

Pivotally and therefore loosely connected to a convenient point of the movable member or leaf 1 by means of a stud or-rivet 8 is a gravity rack-bar 9, which extends across the faces of the two leaves or members and the teeth of which are formed on its under-- side and are disposed toward the free end of said. rack-bar, which latter finally terminates in a hook l0. From the inner face of the stationary leaf or member 2 and directly in the path of the teeth of the rack-bar projects a stud 11, designed'to loosely engage any one of the teeth or the hook at the end of the rack-bar and by'reason of the inclination of the teeth to resist any downward movement of said bar or the leaf or member carrying the same and yet at the same time freely permit of any upward movement of the leaf or member until said stud is engagedV bythe hook at the free end of the rack-bar. At an intermediary point the rack-bar is provided or formed on its upper side with a slight extension 12 and loosely pivoted upon the same is a gravitylatch 13 by means of a rivet 14. This latch has formed Within its edges an angular opening comprising a longitudinal portion 15 and These f IOO at its lower end an enlarged offset or eye 1G, the said opening receiving the stud 1l and loosely fitting the neck of the same back of its head. The latch is of course capable of swinging upon the pivot 14, and at a point within the circle or are of a circle which it. inscribes is a lug 17, that is formed on and projects from the face of the rack-bar.

This completes the description of the improved hinge, and its operation in detail is as follows: Taking the parts in the positions` shown in Fig. 1, which would be the position assumed by the hinge when the head-rest is in its lowestJ or horizontal position, it will be seen that the stud 11 supports the lower edge ot the rack-bar in rear of the inclined teeth of the latter and that the relative position of the stud and the latch iss uch that the former It will be apparent that in this position or in any of the succeeding adjustments the inclined teeth engaging with the stud will prevent a subsequent lowering of the head-rest, so that the latter is at all times rm. In Fig. 3 the head-rest has been still further elevated, so thatthe last tooth ot` the rack-bar is in engagel ment with the stud and the latter occupies a i position almost at the angle of the openingfin the latch.

Now, having described the manner of elevating the head-rest, attention is,i called to Figs. 3 and 4, by which the operation L of lowering the head-rest can be best illus-1V trated. To accomplish this latter, the rest is I elevated to the highest point,wl1ich will cause the last tooth of the rack-bar to pass the stud and will bring the hook -10 of said rack-bari in engagement with the stud. Substantially 2 coincident with the hook is theioiset 16 of the i latch 13, so that when the hook is thrown into engagement with the stud so also is the oiset of the latch brought into such engagement, the parts then being in position shown in Fig. 4. The latch is eccentrically pivoted with relation to thepivot of the rack-bar, and the oitset in the latch being slightly ,beyondi the last tooth of the said rack-bar as soon as said oset is in engagement with the stud a reverse or downward movement of the head rest causes the latch to elevate th'e rack-bar,

so that its teeth escape the stud, thus per mittiug the head-rest to be lowered to its initialposition. (Illustratedin Figl-) When,`

the parts have reached this position, the lug 17 is brought against the edge of the latch: and forces the same in an opposite direction, i thus disengaging the offset in the latch with l the stud.

It will be seen that `the usually-employed device such as I have `described is greatly improved in that its action is entirely automatic and that I attain this result without any appreciable increase of cost in the manufacture.

Although I have herein illustrated the invention in connection with a head-rest comprising a part of the couch, and it is primarily so intended to be used, yet it is apparent that it may be employed in other relations.

Having described my invention, what I claim isl. The herein-described improved hinge, the same comprising the companion leaves or members pivotally connected at their upper inner corners, the stud extending from one oi' said members, the gravity rack-bar pivotally connected to the face of the companion member and provided upon its underside with teeth beyond which teeth it terminates in a hook, and a gravityelatch eccentric-ally pivoted with relation to and upon the rack-bar and provided with an oset substantially coincident -with the said hook, and a lug eX- tending from the rack-bar in the path of the latch and adapted to strike and disengage the latter when the leaves or members are swung toward each other.

2. The herein-described improved hinge, the same comprising the companion leaves or members pivotally connected at their upper inner corners, the stud extending from one oi' said members, the gravity rack-bar pivotally connected to the face of the companion .member and provided upon its under side `with teeth beyond which teeth it terminates in a hook, and a gravity-latch eccentrically pivoted with relation to and upon the rack-bar and provided between its edges With longitudiually and transversely disposed communieating slots, the latter one of which is beyond the last tooth and coincident with the hook, and a lugextending from the rack-bar and into the path of and/adapted to strike the said latch and disconnect the same from the stud.

3. The herein-described improved hinge, the same comprising the companion leavesor members pivotally connected at their upper inner corners, the stud extending from one of said members, the gravity rack-bar pivotally connected to the face of the companion member and provided upon its under side with teeth, a ,gravity latch eccentrically pivoted with relation to and upon the rack-bar and provided with an oset occurring beyond the last tooth of the rack-bar and adapted to engage the stud, and a lug extendingfrom the `face ofthe rack-bar and adapted to strike the latch fand disengage the same from the stud when the leaves or members approach each other.

4. The combination with a couch-f rame and a head-rest frame, of the hinge connection consisting of the leaves or members 1, 2, pivotallyconnected at their upper ends, the stud 11 .extending from one of Vthe same, the rackbar19, pivoted as at 8 to the face of the companion member or leaf and provided with teeth beyond which it terminates in the hook IOO tages' 10, the latch 13 pivoted to the extension 12 of the rack-bar, as indicated at 14, and provided with the slots 15', 16 and the lug 17, as and for the purpose set forth.

5. The herein-described improved hinge, the same comprising the companion leaves or members pivotally connected, a stud IiXedly arranged in relation to one of said members, a gravity rack-bar pivoted at one end with relation to and adapted to move with the companion member and to engage the stud, the latch 13, pivoted upon and-eccentrically with relation to the said rack bar, and provided with the slot 15, having at one end the offset 16, to operate as described, and means for liberating the said latch from the stud when the said leaves or members assume a certain relative position.

6. The herein-described improved adjustable connection, the same comprising oppo` site companion members or leaves pivotally connected, a stud extending from the face of one of said members, a rack-bar loosely pivoted to the opposite member and having teeth along its under side, and means for automatically disengagin g the rack-bar from the stud at a predetermined point and supporting the same out of such engagement during the approach of said leaves or members, and means for lowering the rack-bar at the end of such movement.

7. The herein-described improved hinge the` same comprising .the companion leaves or members pivotally connected, a stud located with relation to one of said members, the rackbar pivoted with relation to the companion member and adapted to move with the same and to engage said stud, saidrack-bar terminating at its free end beyond its teeth in a stop, the latch 13, pivoted upon andin eccentrical relation to said rack-bar, and having the slot 15, provided with the oiset 16 coin'- cident with said stop, and means for disegaging said latch from the stud when the leaves or members assume a certain relative position.

8. The combination with the couch or sofa frame, and the head-rest frame,iof hinges for the same, studs extending inwardly from the sofa -frame adjacent to the hinge points, gravity-bars pivotally connected to the head-v rest frame and terminating in a hook or stop, a latch pivoted upon and eccentrically with relation to the said gravity-bar and having an engaging means substantially coincident with the hook of said gravity-bar, and means for liberating the said latch from engagement with the stud.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in -presence of two witnesses. Y

JULIUS T. SENG.

Witnesses:

W. P. SENG, G. J. BIEHL. 

